Angels and Demons
by Twilight PhoenixFyre
Summary: Archangels Gabriel and Mary have a problem. So, naturally, they decide to pull Sora and Riku into it. However, when their retrieval mission goes awry, Riku is left with twice as much work. Can he find Sora in time while also completing the task the angels gave to him? Set right after KHII, rated 'T' for violence and cursing later on.
1. Chapter 1, Retrieval

**Kairi: Hello! Twilight PhoenixFyre here! (Kairi is my alias, so try not to get too confused.) Anyway, welcome to Angels and Demons. It was kinda winning in the poll on my profile, so I decided to put it up. Anyway…**

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Kairi: Now, go enjoy my newest story!**

* * *

**Chapter One  
****Retrieval**

The Grand Council room was a marvelous place. The doors were made of a dark mahogany, with a light blue metal inlaid into it. That same blue metal laced around each of the seven marble pillars around the room. Just inside of the row of pillars was a platform in the shape of a semi-circle. Sitting directly in front of the far column was a throne, with a less decorative throne to each side.

Also along this raised platform were ten other chairs. A wall rose from the ground and partially hid these seats from view, at least from the ground. Along the outside edge of the room, people hustled and bustled as if nothing was going on, because whenever the Grand Council was in session, a force field surrounded this central part of the room.

And on that particular day, the Grand Council was, indeed, in session.

Sitting in each of the ten lower seats was a man or woman dressed in a white robe. Most had their hoods up, a few had them down. The large, decorative throne in the center was empty, but each of the thrones to its sides were occupied by silver-clad figures. One was most definitely female, whereas the other was male.

"We have long since lost that ability, Lord Gabriel!" one of the hooded men argued. The blonde man in silver was not deterred, however.

"Yes, Lord Malachi, we have lost the ability to wield our keyblades. But there are others out there who have not! If we cannot do this, then they can," he stated quite calmly. Malachi opened his mouth to speak, but froze. Another man began to speak in his stead, but he raised a hand.

"Silence!" he ordered. His ears were trained on something directly below him, in the hidden area beneath the Council's platform. "We are not alone," he informed the Council. One of the women who had long since abandoned her hood stood and jumped off of the platform, landing neatly on the ground before walking toward the end of the semi-circle near Malachi. There was a door there that led to the chamber beneath, and she opened it to reveal a slightly out-of-place teen.

Gabriel buried his head in his hands as the woman sighed and stepped out of the way for the girl to step out of the hidden chamber. Her straw-blonde hair glinted silver when the light hit it, as did her blue eyes, and the thin circlet around her head was gold and light blue. Her robe was silver and light blue, an almost-perfect match to her eyes.

"Elyon," Gabriel stated. Elyon slipped her hands behind her back, but did not remove her eyes from the man in front of her. "How many times have you listened in on one of our meetings now?"

"Twenty-six, father," she stated, not a drop of guilt in her voice. The woman who had gotten her from the hidden chamber sighed.

"Gabriel, she's the next in line for the High Throne, and she's long since passed puberty. We might as well start including her in our meetings," the woman stated. Gabriel looked over at the woman on the other side of the throne. Her wavy, dark brown locks shifted as she nodded.

"As much as I hate to admit it, your mother's right, Elyon. You might as well get up here," Gabriel muttered. The brunette woman behind Elyon put a hand on her daughter's shoulder before taking a step toward her seat. A short flash of light heralded the dropping of an illusion as two mottled gray wings sprouted from her back and lifted her back up to the platform.

Likewise, a short flash of light heralded the coming of Elyon's pure white wings. Unlike even her father's wings, which were flecked with gold and silver, Elyon was the only angel whose wings were pure white.

And, as she landed in front of the throne and took a seat upon it in what would eventually be her rightful place at the council, the wings disappeared once again.

"Need we update you on the current topic, Princess?" a man near Elyon's mother asked. The blonde shook her head.

"No, I heard everything," she answered. Another woman, whose hood still hid her face, nodded.

"I believe you were about to say something, Lord Malachi?" she prompted. Malachi nodded.

"Yes. As I was about to say, the Keyblade wielders have no reason to aid us and therefore won't, or worse, they'll go against us!" he informed the council. "They also have no means with which to travel between worlds quickly and efficiently."

A woman with bright red hair stood and looked respectfully to Gabriel, Elyon, and the woman in the other throne. "Yes, Countess Nimuë?" the woman asked.

"Would not the keyblade gliders be effective enough?" she asked. "Certainly we never needed them, but perhaps the humans have not yet forgotten."

Malachi sighed. "The Lanes Between require armor to traverse, and our intelligence on this latest group of keyblade wielders tells us that they have no such armor. Keyblade gliders are out of the question," he informed her. The man next to him, who, like many of the council, had yet to remove his hood, looked up at the higher trio.

"Lady Mary, might I be allowed to expand on that?" he asked. The woman to Elyon's right, Mary, gave the man an odd look.

"You've caught something, Soul?" she asked. He nodded and removed his hood, letting dark blue locks free.

"It seems I might have…" he said before standing. Malachi and Nimuë sat, having no reason to stand until it was their turn to argue something again. "It may be possible to send an angel with each of the keyblade wielders to carry them to each world. They would move from world to world quickly enough, and the angels with them would not only provide backup, but would also be able to keep track of their progress and ensure that they are, in fact, doing as we've tasked them to," he explained.

Malachi crossed his arms, as if trying to come up with a good argument for that. He sighed and stood. "Soul is correct. And, if I remember correctly, Lord Gabriel," he started, turning toward Gabriel. "You asked for two keybladers so that they would go from world to world together, leaving less room for something to fail should one of them be injured. If we were to split them into two groups of two, each consisting of an angel and a wielder, they'd get the work done twice as fast without nearly the chance of mistakes."

"Princess Elyon? Have you anything to say about this?" Soul asked a moment later. Elyon, who had her hands neatly folded in her lap, nodded.

"Yes. We've decided what we're going to do, and how to go about it. But I'm afraid I've heard nothing of retrieval yet," she said. "Regardless of our plans for them, if we don't ask this of the keybladers properly, they won't help us."

Soul and Malachi sat, as neither of them had any ideas. Mary, however, seemed to be playing with one, and she sat up a little straighter before speaking. "Gabriel and I will go to the islands where these keybladers reside. We'll ask this as a favor, bring them here, and then bring them before the council," she decided. Malachi sighed, but Nimuë beat him to speaking.

"You intend to make this seem as important as possible," she said. Mary nodded.

"This _is_ important. We need their help, more than I'd care to admit. If Gabriel and I go to retrieve them, it will make even more of an impression than if we sent anyone else," she replied. No objections were raised, so she looked up at Elyon, who realized almost immediately what she was doing.

Elyon stood, the entire council standing with her. "Lady Mary and Lord Gabriel will retrieve the keyblade wielders. We will decide exactly which angels will be sent with them if and when they agree to assist us," she announced. The council nodded their heads and left, each one jumping down from their seats quietly. Elyon, Gabriel, and Mary jumped down from their seats last, and the force field disappeared, allowing the other angels out. At a gesture from the youngest, the trio retreated into the chambers beneath the seats for a moment.

Elyon turned to face Mary and her father once the door was closed. "I wish to be sent with one of them," she informed them. Mary simply looked shocked, while Gabriel, predictably, looked shocked, angry, and worried all at the same time.

"Elyon, you don't know what's out there!" he argued immediately. His daughter nodded.

"Yes, and I'll never learn if I don't leave. Aegyria withdrew from the other worlds in the realm of light and left them open to the shadows from the realm of darkness," she replied. Mary's shocked expression became one of understanding.

"You intend to re-assert our control over this realm," she stated. Elyon looked up at her and nodded.

"King Joseph did not wish for us to withdraw from the worlds, and yet we did regardless. Withdrawn as we were, the Archangels had no power to send us back out into the worlds," she said, telling both of them things they already knew. "I want to send our people out there again, to fix the balance we lost so long ago. But I can't do that if I know nothing about the worlds that are out there."

Gabriel crossed his arms. He still didn't look happy, not in the least, but Mary, it seemed already agreed with Elyon.

"Gabriel?" the dark-haired Archangel asked. He sighed and shook his head.

"I still don't want to risk you getting hurt, but… fine," he told her. Elyon smiled.

"Thank you, Father."

* * *

Riku was sitting on the paopu tree when Sora walked over to him. They'd been back for a couple of weeks now, and already things were starting to settle down again.

Sora jumped up onto the tree and smiled. "You know… It's nice to be back finally," he said. Riku sighed.

"Yeah," he agreed. "But, you know how the worlds are. We'll be out there again soon enough." Sora groaned.

"Riku! You're gonna jinx it!" he grumbled.

"Jinx what?" a new voice asked. The duo turned around to see a woman in a silvery robe standing there, her dark, curly hair barely contained by a blue ribbon. Sora looked over at Riku, who shrugged.

"Whoops," he said. Sora rolled his eyes and jumped off the tree before walking over to the woman, who was very obviously _not _from Destiny Islands. Riku followed him, then noticed the blonde man who was trudging along across the bridge. The robe he wore was almost identical to the one worn by the woman.

"Can we help you two?" Sora asked, having noticed the man as well. The woman nodded.

"I believe so. I'm Mary, this is Gabriel. You two are the keyblade wielders, are you not?" she asked. Riku was cautious, but Sora nodded. The expression on the woman's face and the fact that Riku could smell no darkness on her told him that she was honest enough, but he wasn't sure what to think about the fact that she had known about his and Sora's keyblades.

The blonde man sighed. "We… that is, the council in charge of our world, has a problem," he stated. Riku frowned.

"What kind of a problem?" he inquired. Mary's expression was grave.

"A darkness problem," she told him. Riku sighed. It always came back to that, didn't it? He looked over at Sora, who seemed to have already made up his mind.

"Well, I'm helping. But… what about Kairi and our parents?" he asked, more toward Riku than the strangers. Riku pulled a small notebook and a pencil out of one of his pockets, scribbled a note, then left it at the base of the paopu tree.

"They'll understand," he said. Then, sticking the notebook and pencil back into his pockets, he walked over to the strangers again. "It sounds like we've got work to do…"

The duo nodded. "Yeah. We'll tell you the details once we get back to Aegyria," Gabriel stated. Sora crossed his arms.

"Um, not to sound extremely rude or something, but how are we supposed to get there?" he asked. Mary smiled, and, in two quick but bright flashes of light, the two revealed white wings flecked with gold and silver, though Mary's wings were darker, as they were more silver than white.

"We fly, of course," Gabriel told them. Riku looked slightly skeptical.

"You're going to carry us back to your world?" he asked. Mary nodded. "Won't you get tired flying the whole way?"

Mary laughed. "No. We fly in a rather special way between worlds," she told him.

Gabriel stuck his hands into hidden pockets. "Well, you two coming or not?" he asked. Sora grinned and ran over to Gabriel, who quickly hoisted the teen onto his back. Mary turned so that Riku could do the same, and the two angels took off running before lifting into the air.

Riku's breath caught in his throat as they left Destiny Islands. Masses of color, stars, and dust clouds surrounded them, and, glancing over, it was obvious that Sora thought similarly.

There were passing through a particularly red area when the blast of darkness hit them. Riku was knocked off of Mary's back, but grabbed her arm and was relieved when she pulled him into a strong embrace. Sure, it was slightly awkward, but he did not want to fall. He was too busy hanging on for his life to look back and see if Gabriel and Sora were alright.

By the time Mary landed, however, and Riku looked around, three things became obvious.

First, they were most definitely on a light-oriented world. Second, Gabriel had managed to make it through the blast of darkness. However, the worried look on his face told Riku all he needed to know before he even tried looking for his friend.

Gabriel had dropped Sora.

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**Kairi: …**

**Soul: A cliffhanger already? Really, Kairi?**

**Kairi: Yes! Because cliffhangers and reviews make the world go round. Speaking of which… please review! (Especially if you want to read more of this.) And, in the meantime... -returns to typing-**


	2. Chapter 2, Purpose

**Kairi: So, welcome back! No reviews, I noticed… Oh well, it was only the first chapter. This is one of my best planned-out stories, and it sounded really interesting in my head, so I'm hoping to pick up some momentum as I go. If not… well, then it'll just sit around unfinished on my laptop.**

**Soul: You're rambling again.**

**Kairi: Right… so, I don't own KH, but OC's are mine. And, without further ado, I give you Chapter Two of Angels and Demons!**

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**Chapter Two  
****Purpose**

Riku walked over to Gabriel almost immediately after he realized what had happened. "Where's Sora?" he demanded of the blonde archangel. Gabriel bit his lip.

"I would have sworn he'd managed to hang on…" he mumbled. Riku turned back to Mary, who was not alone anymore, as there was a blonde girl about his age standing next to her. He noticed the resemblance between the girl and Gabriel almost immediately, but ignored her for the time being.

"Where is Sora?" he repeated. Gabriel flinched and looked at the girl, who rolled her eyes.

"Summon the council and inform them of what's happened, and see if Soul or Galatea can find him," she decided. Riku looked between her and Gabriel confusedly, before she smiled. "I think I'd best look after him," she added, nodding toward Riku, who immediately scowled. Mary nodded.

"Alright. Gabriel?" she prompted. The blonde nodded and followed her as they walked toward the edge of the cliff before flying toward a large, central building in the city the cliff overlooked. Riku examined the city and was surprised to see that not all of the people wore robes like the archangels or the girl who was currently standing at his side.

"My name is Elyon," the girl said a moment later. Riku turned to look at her again. "What's yours?"

Riku regarded her carefully before answering. "Riku… ah… Are you related to that man?" he wondered. Elyon smiled.

"Gabriel is my father," she replied. Using his confused expression as her prompting, she continued, "I am the Princess. He is only High Lord."

"How does that work?" Riku asked. Elyon laughed.

"My wings are pure white, whereas his are flecked with gold and silver," she told him. "I am the first Heir since our second King, Joseph, died. That was quite some time ago." A moment later, she summoned her wings. "Would you care to see the city a little closer?" she asked.

Riku's almost-dark expression returned.

"I'd like to know what happened to Sora," he replied. Elyon sighed.

"I'm afraid I'm not certain. What do you know about what happened?" she asked. Riku looked up at the sky.

"Well, there was a blast of darkness," he told her. "It knocked me off of Mary's back, but I managed to grab onto her arm before she could drop me." Now it was Elyon's turn for her expression to turn dark.

"Then Sora would have fallen out of the _Milyin_, to be caught up in a world's _tilkuir_," she said. Riku gave her an odd look, and she sighed. "The _Milyin_ is the pathway we use to travel between worlds, and _tilkuir_ is a force that draws someone out of the space between worlds and onto a world," she explained. Riku nodded in understanding.

"He'll be alright, won't he?" he asked. Elyon nodded.

"Oh yes, provided the heartless or local monsters don't manage to kill him," she replied. Riku groaned, then looked back down over the city. "Would you like to go down now?" Elyon asked. The silver-haired boy nodded and awkwardly climbed onto her back as he had Mary. Elyon, however, was shorter than he was… though it seemed she was just as strong as the archangel he had been brought by.

Since they were right on the edge of the cliff, Elyon simply jumped off and glided down to the city. Riku realized quickly that she had no difficulty carrying him, even though he knew he had to weigh more than she did. He wondered why that was, then reflected that the angels had probably evolved to be physically stronger than normal.

Elyon and Riku spent the next ten minutes walking around the streets, while the princess pointed out people or places she knew and liked, a few angels that Riku would be wise to avoid, and, of all things, an ice-cream shop. Riku quickly declined her offer for ice-cream due to the fact that the cool air was starting to make him a little cold. Elyon giggled and led him to one of her friends' houses.

The boy who lived there was out and about with the rest of the group, but his mother happily invited Elyon and Riku in. The blonde immediately went into her friend's room to get a warm jacket for Riku, who was talking to the violet-haired woman. A short while later, a silver-haired girl walked in.

"Mother, have you seen Xel at all today?" she asked, before spotting Riku. "Oh… hello. I don't believe we've met," she added. Her mother, who had introduced herself as Seila, smiled.

"Riku, this my daughter, Shiver. Her younger brother Exelas is Elyon's friend," she explained. "Shiver, this is Riku. Elyon brought him here to borrow one of Exelas' jackets."

Shiver looked at Riku curiously. "Why do you need it?" she wondered. Elyon finally emerged from the hallway with a white and black jacket.

"He's not an angel, Shiver. The air here is colder than he's used to," she told the silver-haired girl. Elyon handed Riku the jacket, and he slipped it on happily enough. "Oh, and I think Din said they were going down to the forest today," she added. Shiver sighed.

"Great. I have to track the annoyance down," she grumbled before leaving. Seila sighed.

"I'm not sure which of my children I should be most concerned about. Cynobi the stubborn, Shiver the eternally sour, or Exelas the silent follower," she muttered. Elyon giggled.

"I'd say Cyn. Just because he's the one who gets into the most trouble," she replied. Seila smiled.

"True enough," she stated. Elyon led Riku out of the house again, then paused, as if listening to something.

"Huh… So that's what it feels like," she mumbled. Riku gave her an odd look, and she smiled before spreading her wings again. "Come on. The council's summoned us," she told him. Riku zipped the jacket up before hopping onto her back. Elyon ran for a little ways before the wind caught under her wings, lifting them off the ground as she started flapping them, carrying the duo into the sky and back toward the central building.

Elyon lighted down near the front, and Riku leapt off before she landed to make the landing a little easier on her legs. The mahogany doors opened silently, and Riku looked around him in slight awe.

"Hey, Elyon… what's that blue metal?" he asked as they waited for the force field to be lowered. Elyon looked over at him in confusion for a moment before she smiled.

"Oh, that's _creneulas_," she told him. "The closest translation would be 'sky-iron'. It comes from within the _Milyin_ during the full moon. Most of it is lost and thrown to the outer edges of the realm, but we managed to catch some of it."

Riku stuck his hands in the jacket pockets. "Hmm… That's… something new," he said. Elyon shrugged, then looked back into the council room. They couldn't see her, of course, because the force field created a wall that could only be seen through one way, but she had a feeling they knew she was there. "Um, is there something I should know about procedures or manners or something?" Riku wondered. Elyon laughed.

"Just try to be polite. They won't expect anything more from you," she told him. He looked a little relieved. Then, before he could say anything else, the force field was lowered, permitting the two of them to enter.

As they did so, Elyon noted that, unlike earlier, all twelve members of the council had their hoods down save for Soul, who sat at the edge of the group, to the left of where she and Riku had entered. On the other side in the same position was a woman with electric blue hair and violet eyes.

Elyon joined her father and Mary quickly, leaving Riku to his own devices in the center, not that he minded too badly. His eyes were locked on Gabriel, and not exactly in a friendly way.

The blonde archangel sighed as Elyon sat down. The force field came back up as she did so, and Mary seated herself as well. Gabriel, however, remained standing. "I'll get straight to it then. Your friend Sora is outside of Galatea's sight, and Soul has yet to tell us anything, so I'm afraid we'll have to come back to that in a moment," he started. Riku sighed.

"You'll find him though, won't you?" he asked. Gabriel nodded, an action that seemed to calm Riku for the time being. The archangel then looked to a black-haired young woman who sat next to the blue-haired woman.

"Duchess Narumi, would you like to explain to our guest what you told us earlier this week?" Gabriel asked. She nodded and stood, and Gabriel sat to allow her to talk. While Narumi was looking at Riku, the silver-haired teen had a feeling that she was addressing Elyon as well.

"The worlds within the realm of light are supposed to hold only light within their hearts," she began. "However, after the withdrawal of the angels from the other worlds, darkness started to seep into each world and that darkness eventually infected the hearts of those worlds as well. In order to maintain the balance between this realm of light and the realm of darkness, the tainted hearts need to be purified, a task that can only be accomplished by a keyblade wielder."

Riku looked up at Mary, starting to understand why she and Gabriel had come for him and Sora. Her expression, indeed, the expressions of every council member, was somber. He looked back up at Narumi, who had returned to her seat, then noticed that the male nearest the hooded man had stood in her place.

"We have long since lost the ability to wield keyblades, which is why we requested your help," he stated. "Not only are you and Sora keyblade wielders, but you are also aligned with the light. You would be able to wield one of the keyblades necessary to cleanse the hearts of the worlds."

"Thank you, Count Eltanin," Gabriel commented as the man sat. Riku turned to look at him again. Gabriel opened his mouth to speak, then closed it as his eyes fell upon Soul, who had lowered his hood. "Soul?"

The dark blue-haired man shook his head. "He's alive, but as of the moment unconscious," he said simply, without bothering to stand up. Elyon fiddled around with the ends of her sleeves as her father sighed.

"Very well then. We'll have to find him the hard way," he said, more to himself than the council. Then he looked down at Riku. "You understand now why we need your help, don't you?" he asked. Riku nodded.

"Yes," he replied. Mary stood.

"I understand that you're worried about your friend, but I can assure you that we will do all we can to find him," she told him. "In the meantime, will you act on our request?"

Riku was silent for a long time as he examined a spot on the floor in front of him. Finally, as a few of the council members were beginning to think that he would decline, he looked up at her and said, "I will, but how am I to move from world to world?"

Gabriel, Mary, and Elyon exchanged a long look before Gabriel sighed. "Princess Elyon will be traveling with you," he announced. Riku found that he wasn't too surprised, whereas most of the council members were outraged. He ignored them as they started arguing, but his attention returned as Elyon stood.

"I'm going whether you like it or not, Lord Malachi!" she informed a man whose black hair was tipped with orange. His right eye was crimson, though his left was violet, and he seemed the most vehement that she not go. "Aegyria is responsible for the well-being of the worlds inside the realm of light as well as itself. As future queen, I feel that it is necessary I understand the worlds outside before I try to protect them," she argued. Most of the angry members of the council seemed to accept this, though there were two who did not seem to.

Riku noted that they were an equal distance away from Elyon, being that they sat on either side of the archangels, one being Malachi, and the other being a red-haired woman with dangerous-looking green eyes. He wondered absently if they were related in any way.

"Only by position," a voice rang in his head. He turned to look at Soul, who nodded slightly to his silent query. "Lord Malachi and Countess Nimuë are equals on the council, with only Lord Gabriel and Lady Mary above them."

Riku looked between him and the blue-haired woman, completely ignoring the fact that Elyon was still arguing with Malachi. Soul smiled faintly. "Galatea and I are not nobility, but we are Seers, and thus are honorary members of the council," he explained. Riku let the information filter through his mind as Elyon finally subdued Malachi and Nimuë.

An exasperated expression etched on her face, Elyon seated herself again and turned to Riku. "Well then, now that that's settled, I'm ready when you are," she told him. He nodded.

"That make two of us then," he replied. Elyon stood and the force field disappeared. Gabriel followed the teens out, while the other angels dissipated into the crowds. Gabriel took off flying the moment he was outside, while Elyon stopped to let Riku on her back.

They stopped at Elyon's home next for two reasons. The first was so that the princess could change into more suitable clothes for traveling. The second reason was more important, however.

Gabriel led Riku below the manor house into a room illuminated by glowing crystals. The light they gave off was multi-colored, and so the colors bounced off the walls, giving the room a strange feeling.

In the center was a small altar, and upon it were dozens of keychains. Riku held back a gasp at the sight of them all, whereas Gabriel sighed. "So long, these keychains and their keyblades have rested, untouched," he muttered. Then he waved Riku over, and the teen obliged. Gabriel pointed to one in specific. "There, that's Celestial Grace. It's one of the five remaining light keyblades that can do what you'll need it to do in the hearts of the worlds," he stated. Riku reached for it, then stopped and looked at Gabriel. "Go ahead."

Riku took the keychain in his hand, and Gabriel smiled. "Well, then. Knowing Elyon, she's probably waiting on you now. Come on, we don't want to keep her waiting!" he said cheerfully. Riku rolled his eyes at the slightly eccentric angel and followed him back up the stairs.

* * *

**Kairi: Oh, right! I have two pictures that I'm working on for you guys already! One of them is Elyon as she appears in this chapter (and the first one) but there are no wings (because I suck at angel wings). The other one is Celestial Grace. I know Riku hasn't actually summoned it yet, but I'm working on it already because, well… That should be kinda obvious. So, yeah. That's pretty much a first.**

**Soul: …Kairi…**

**Kairi: On another note… I'll be back next week! Please don't forget to review!**


	3. Chapter 3, Setting Out

**Kairi: Okay, then, I'm back! Here's the next chapter. I don't own anything familiar.**

* * *

**Chapter 3  
Setting Out**

Riku looked around him as he and Gabriel stood up in the courtyard. Elyon was, in fact, not waiting for them when they arrived. So, the keyblade wielder took the chance to look around and admire the scenery.

Actually, he was just anxious. Gabriel had explained the whole process to him, and he was concerned. There was still darkness in his heart, trying to rear its head up and bring him down. Sure, he had it under control now, but he wasn't sure if Celestial Grace would respond to his wishes. It was a keyblade of pure light, after all.

"Ah! Sorry it took me so long! I didn't mean to make you wait," Elyon's voice cut through his thought processes. He turned around and nodded in approval at her clothing choice.

Unlike the robe she had been wearing earlier, the clothes she wore now looked like they would be easier to move around in. They were also darker, though Riku noted that it simply made her white wings stand out a bit more. He knew she wouldn't have them unconcealed all the time, though, so it didn't bother him.

"It's fine. Are you ready?" he asked. Elyon nodded, then looked up at Gabriel.

"As soon as I've seen the two of you off, I'm joining the search parties Mary has already started setting up," he told her. Riku and Elyon nodded before the latter of the two stepped past Gabriel and opened her wings a bit. Riku, taking the hint, hopped onto her back, and Elyon took off. "Take care of her!" Gabriel yelled after them. Elyon sighed, but Riku smiled.

"I will," he called back. A moment later, colors surrounded them as Elyon flew into the _Milyin_. Now that his mind was slightly less preoccupied with what could possibly be waiting for him and he wasn't as concerned about Sora, he had the time to examine the inter-world pathway Elyon was carrying him along.

As they passed a green dust cloud and started flying through a gold and blue one, he found himself wondering where they were going.

"Hey, Elyon? Where are we going?" he asked. She sighed.

"Honestly, I have no idea. But so long as we're still flying through colors like this and not just blue and black and purple, we're in the realm of light. So I figure we can land just about anywhere," she told him. Then she pointed to an upcoming area that was extremely orange. "Like there," she added before angling out of the main stream she seemed to be following to plunge into the orange.

The came out into dark skies over a relatively dark town and Elyon landed on top of one of the buildings. Riku looked around, recognizing the place slightly.

"Hey, isn't this Traverse Town?" he asked. Elyon shrugged.

"Why are you asking me? I've never been allowed to leave Aegyria before… Well, except for when I was learning to use the _Milyin_, but that doesn't really count. I went to the Dark Margin and then had to go back home," she told him. Riku looked at her curiously.

"I thought the Dark Margin was in the realm of darkness," he muttered. Elyon nodded.

"Yeah, but the _Milyin_ passes through both the realms of light and darkness," she answered. Then she crossed her arms. "Shouldn't we be looking for the keyhole?" she asked. Riku crossed his arms.

"Will we be able to use it? Sora locked the one here," he wondered. Elyon looked thoughtful.

"Well, theoretically, all you'd need to do would be unlock the keyhole to get in. I don't know if that's perfectly true though, in this case at least. I mean, Sora has the Kingdom Key, doesn't he?" she asked. Riku nodded. "Well… we could at least give it a shot."

He sighed. "But that still leaves the problem of where it is," Riku said. Elyon looked at her hand curiously before a ball of light appeared in her palm.

"Riku, do you think you could use your keyblade on this?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow. "It's so I can get a lock on the kind of energy signature I'm looking for," she added. Riku shrugged and summoned his keyblade, Way to the Dawn, then looked at it for a moment before summoning Celestial Grace instead.

The golden-bladed keyblade glowed with light, and for a moment, Riku was worried that it would just disappear again. It felt slightly awkward in his hands, but when it didn't disappear, he pointed it at the ball of light in Elyon's hand, focusing it like he would if he were locking or unlocking a keyhole of some kind.

A beam of light shot out from the tip of the blade and struck the orb, turning it gold. A moment later, it faded to white again, and Elyon smiled. "That ought to do. Now then, let's see if we can find our keyhole," she said. Riku banished Celestial Grace and followed her as she carefully jumped down from the roof.

They hadn't been walking long before the orb lit up gold once more. It faded to white before Elyon noticed. Riku, however, had spotted it. "Hey, Elyon, take a few steps back," he told her. She looked at him oddly, then came back to where he was. Sure enough, the orb lit up gold again, remaining so this time.

"So, the keyhole's around here somewhere," she muttered, looking around.

A ways off, there was a large door that Riku remembered lead to the first district. On their other side was a fountain with a large mosaic behind it. However, they were on a raised walkway right now.

"I think I have an idea of where it is," Riku said, leading Elyon down to where the fountain was. The glow from her light orb seemed to intensify as they drew within a few feet of the fountain, and Riku nodded. "Yup. The keyhole's here," he told her. She banished the ball of light as he summoned Celestial Grace again.

Pointing the keyblade at the keyhole's location produced results, as the keyhole was suddenly outlined in light. A beam of light shot out from the tip of Riku's keyblade and struck through the middle of the top of the keyhole. A small click, like something being unlocked, reached the duo, and Riku looked down at Elyon.

This was the moment where they both figured out exactly how accurate Gabriel's instructions had been. Riku took a deep breath and slipped Celestial Grace into the keyhole.

Elyon was suddenly very glad she had been holding onto his jacket, as they were quickly transported to a stained-glass platform. This wasn't a Station of Awakening, however. Riku knew, because rather than the typical pitch black, the world around them was alive with color.

The very same orange that Elyon had flown into.

The platforms were all similar, in that the majority of the glass was blue or brown. Riku started along one of the paths, Elyon behind him. They didn't make it far before they were presented with a problem, however.

As they stepped onto the second platform, a wall that Riku was becoming very familiar with formed around the platform as eight Shadows slipped out of the ground. He raised an eyebrow, but Elyon sighed.

"I hate to say this, but do you mind if I fight these guys alone? They won't do you any good as practice, and I really need it," she asked. Riku shrugged and got out of the way as she shot past him. Well, ran past. She wasn't as fast as Sora, but then, Riku found he wasn't surprised.

He was, however, slightly surprised that she had no weapon to speak of. Blue light would form around her hands or whatever she was striking with and it would severely hurt the heartless. One by one, she managed to kill them. A few times, she tried throwing the light at them, but they would either melt into the floor or dodge the attack. Riku realized why rather quickly.

"Can you throw those attacks faster?" he asked as she was dealing with the last two. She frowned.

"I'm trying," she told him. "I'm sorry if I've never actually fought before," she added. "I don't think practice in my back yard actually counted." Then, slightly frustrated with this one Shadow that had been playing around out of her range, she shot another blast at it. This one hit, stunning the heartless long enough for her to run over and smack it with a glowing hand.

The last of the heartless was rather stupid, as it walked right over, only to be kicked into oblivion. Elyon stood and brushed her hands off as they stopped glowing. The wall disappeared and they continued. Riku opened his mouth repeatedly, only to close it again. Elyon noticed.

"Yes?" she asked. Riku scratched the back of his head.

"We should probably pick up a proper weapon for you," he said. Elyon crossed her arms.

"That wasn't what you were going to say," she stated. Riku sighed.

"Your technique is rough. I'd expect that of a first-time fighter though, it's just…" he admitted. Elyon shrugged.

"I know. That's why I wanted to get the practice in," she replied. "Although, aside from 'shoot faster', any advice?"

Riku laughed. "A weapon, for one. It'll give you a longer reach," he said. Then, more thoughtfully, he added, "And maybe some magic. What you were doing was great and all, but until you get fast enough to shoot… whatever that was off quickly, the magic might come in handy."

Elyon nodded. "Magic, huh?" she echoed. "So… do you know enough to teach me or am I going to have to figure it out on my own?" she asked. Riku sighed.

"I can do really basic magic, but… most of the magic I learned originally was dark-based. Hence the reason why my grasp on magic is not the best. Sora probably would have been able to teach you, easily," he replied. Elyon crossed her arms.

"Who did Sora learn from?" she asked. Riku frowned.

"You know, that's a good question. I'm not sure if it was Donald or Merlin who taught him," he answered. Then they reached another platform where the wall appeared. "We can worry about it later!"

These heartless were different. These were Soldiers. And, while Soldiers weren't all that much stronger than Shadows, they were still stronger.

That, and there were about twenty of them this time. Elyon sighed as her hands began glowing again, and Riku summoned his keyblade after realizing that he had dismissed it some time ago. He vaguely realized that it was Way to the Dawn rather than Celestial Grace before he started attacking.

In the end, Elyon managed to take out six of the heartless. Riku took out the remaining fourteen… or rather, he took out fourteen and watched as Elyon destroyed the remaining two at approximately the same time.

"That… was sorrowful," she muttered. Riku smiled.

"Not really. You're a beginner, you're not supposed to kill a group of twenty Soldiers quickly and efficiently," he told her. "Which is why I jumped in," he added. Elyon rolled her eyes.

"Come on. Let's just find the heart of the world already," she grumbled.

As it turned out, they had only two more platforms to walk across to get there, and no heartless attacked either time.

Due to the lack of heartless, Riku had expected the heart of the world to be mostly light.

On first glance, it wasn't. Dark streaks of blue and violet criss-crossed over the heart, and barely any light managed to escape the confines of the darkness. "The light is trapped inside. I'd guess from the lack of heartless that the barrier around it isn't very thick, though," Elyon said.

Riku nodded and summoned Celestial Grace. He stepped forward cautiously, then, focusing on the light within him, he plunged the keyblade into the heart.

Bright, white light forced him to close his eyes, and even then, the light was nigh unbearable. However, it faded eventually, and when Riku opened his eyes again, he was standing in front of the keyhole. Elyon stood nearby, rubbing her eyes and blinking to try and get her eyesight back. He smiled before turning back to the keyhole and locking it.

A small click told him that his job was done here.

* * *

**Kairi: Now then… I had originally intended for each chapter to be a world, but some of the worlds took up so much space that I had to break them into two chapters, so, yeah. I have no idea how long this is going to be in total. Anyway, I had a review last chapter! So, to anonymous reviewer Buddahbb- Yes, I think _everyone_ wants to know what happened to Sora. Except, I'm not talking. (Not yet, at least.) But thanks for dropping the review!**

**Soul: -yawns- Why am I here again?**

**Kairi: Because I said so. Now then, on that note… the pictures I mentioned last week, plus a pic of Elyon's traveling outfit, PLUS a new cover should all be up next week. (Emphasis on the word 'should'.) So, please review, and we will be back next week!**


	4. Chapter 4, Cornerstone

**Kairi: So, the title of this chapter ought to tell you where we're headed this time. Anyway, I don't own KH, but anything unfamiliar is probably mine or a friend's that I'm borrowing.**

* * *

**Chapter 4  
Cornerstone**

Riku and Elyon stopped by a store in town before they left. Riku wasn't certain how Elyon had managed to get them up to the rooftops again without flying, but she pulled it off. Once there, she smiled at him.

"So, you wanna pick the next world?" she asked. He crossed his arms.

"Is there any way to tell which world is which?" he wondered. Elyon looked thoughtful.

"Well… Have you got a world in mind?" she inquired. Riku nodded. "So, is it really light, or is it kinda dark?" Riku smiled.

"Definitely light," he replied. She hummed.

"Magic levels?" she asked.

"They should be pretty high," he answered. She nodded.

"Alright. Then we're looking for blue and gold, but mostly gold," she told him. Then she crossed her arms. "Actually, didn't we fly past a blue and gold area on our way here?" she wondered. Riku was thoughtful for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, we did. There was a green dust cloud and then a gold and blue one," he replied. Elyon nodded.

"Okay, we'll try that one then. Keep an eye out for an area that's gold and blue with a green area nearby, probably past it. It'll make things easier if we're both looking," she told him. Riku nodded. A moment later, Elyon had spread her wings, and after Riku hopped on, the two were off again.

Not too much later, Riku pointed out the gold and blue dust cloud they had passed earlier. Elyon nodded and adjusted her flight course. The next thing Riku knew, they were passing through the divide between each world and the _Milyin_.

The world they flew over now was familiar, and Riku smiled. He pointed Elyon toward the castle, and told her to land in the gardens. Cautiously, she did so, then folded her wings away. There certainly was a lot of light, she admitted. Perhaps not as much as Aegyria, but there was a lot of light.

Riku started leading the way through the garden, but they didn't get far before a large dog stopped them.

"Hey, what're ya… Wait, Riku?" he asked. Riku grinned.

"Hi, Goofy," he greeted him. Goofy smiled.

"Why, it is Riku! How've ya been?" he asked "Hey, where's Sora? I'da thought he woulda been with ya."

Riku's smile faded immediately. "That's just it… Sora's gone missing," he told the knight. Goofy's smile faded for a moment before he noticed Elyon for the first time. He looked surprised.

"Oh? And who's this?" he asked. Riku nearly smacked himself upside the head.

"This is Elyon. She's helping me get from world to world," he explained. Then, turning to Elyon, he added, "Goofy is one of Sora's friends."

She smiled. "Oh yes, I can see that," she said, not at all sarcastic. "It's nice to meet you." She held out a hand for Goofy to shake, which he did.

"It's nice to meet ya too," he replied. Then, looking back at Riku, he said, "You wanna go talk to the king?" Riku smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. I know the way, if you have something else to do," he answered. Goofy nodded.

"Go right ahead, then. You oughta tell him about Sora too," he said before ambling off. Riku smiled after him, then looked at Elyon.

"Come on. I want you to meet a friend of mine," he told her. She shrugged and followed him as they entered the castle. Riku did, in fact, know the way, and opened the door to the library quietly. Elyon wondered if that was really polite, but the mouse sitting at the desk had yet to notice them, so she figured she'd have to wait a moment to find out.

Riku walked over to the desk and stood in front of it. "I told ya'll to leave me alone for awhile. I got stuff I need to work on," the mouse said without looking up, only the tiniest bit of annoyance slipping into his voice. Riku smiled.

"Anything I can help with?" he asked. The mouse looked up at him, then looked down at his book, shaking his head 'no', before looking back up at Riku in shock.

Elyon bit her lip, as she had found the entire scene amusing. Mickey had, upon recovering from his shock, leapt out of his chair before running around the desk to embrace Riku.

"Riku! How've ya been, pal?" Mickey asked happily. Riku smiled, but it died after a moment.

"I've been fine… But…" Riku sighed. He stood up straight. "Sora's gone missing."

Mickey frowned, then looked over at the door. "I see… And you are?" he asked. Elyon stepped forward.

"Elyon, your Majesty," she replied. Mickey sighed.

"Just 'Mickey'll do," he told her. "Where ya from, Elyon?"

Elyon smiled. "Aegyria," she answered simply. Mickey crossed his arms while he thought, then he took a step back in shock.

"You're an angel?" he asked. Elyon let the illusion hiding her wings fall, and Mickey seemed even more shocked. "And the Heir, too…" he muttered. He looked up at Riku. "I'm not sure I want to know why she's with you," he said.

Elyon giggled. "I'm just here to provide transportation between worlds… Though I must say, I'm enjoying being able to see new worlds for once," she told him. Mickey's shock faded, and he looked between the two of them.

"Well, while I can only hope the two of ya came here just ta warn me about Sora goin' missing, I gotta feeling that isn't the case," he said. Elyon nodded and looked at Riku, who sighed.

"The angels sent me out here to cleanse the worlds' hearts of darkness. They had intended to send Sora as well, but…" he explained. Elyon sighed.

"My father dropped him somewhere between Destiny Islands and Aegyria," she added. Riku scowled.

"Don't remind me," he grumbled. Then, looking back at Mickey he added, "We need to find this world's keyhole."

Mickey nodded. "Alright. I know where it is, sealed it up myself… But, are ya sure it's necessary?" he asked. Riku nodded.

"Yeah. I wouldn't say anything if it wasn't," he replied. Mickey sighed and lead the two of them out of the library. Riku, somehow, was unsurprised when they reached the throne room. Mickey pressed a button on the side of the throne and it move to the side. A wave of light washed past them, and Elyon looked more interested than she had in a while.

Once they reached the bottom of the hidden flight of stairs, it was obvious what had her so interested. She smiled and nodded. "I see. There's a Cornerstone here," she stated to herself. Mickey looked over at her and frowned.

"Whadya mean,** a** Cornerstone?" he asked. Elyon sighed.

"Cornerstones are like… the Nobodies of the worlds… or perhaps they'd be the heartless…" she muttered. "Anyway, when a world with a strong heart dies, and I mean **dies**, not **is ****destroyed**, it will sometimes leave behind the heart. That heart, left without a world, becomes formless for a time, though, more often than not, it becomes a perfect sphere, like this one. These leftover hearts are referred to as Cornerstones. The strongest element inside the heart is the one that sticks, so it can't be tainted by anything either," she explained. Riku looked at the large sphere in shock.

"You mean, this was once the heart of a world?" he asked. Elyon nodded.

"Yup. A very **light** world, too," she replied. Then she looked around. "Um, where's the keyhole?" she asked. Mickey pulled out his keyblade (Star Seeker, Riku noted) and pointed it at the far wall. A beam of light shot out from the keyblade and revealed the keyhole, and a small clicking sound alerted them to the fact that it had been unlocked.

Riku nodded and summoned Celestial Grace before slipping it into the keyhole. Elyon had cautiously grabbed his arm, while holding out a hand for Mickey.

The mouse king took her hand just moments before the three of them were whisked away.

Mickey looked around them in surprise, then yelped and jumped up, only to land once more on the transparent ground. Elyon had, instinctually, summoned her wings and started flapping to get airborne.

Riku reacted quite similarly to Mickey.

Once the three had realized that there was, in fact, a ground of sorts, they relaxed and looked between each other.

"Let's hope we have more worlds like Traverse Town than this," Riku muttered. "This was… not fun." Elyon nodded.

"Yup," she replied. Then she sighed. "I got it," she called before running ahead of them. A small group of heartless had been ambling along… and then she landed in the middle of the group and started killing them. Mickey, alarmed at the sight of the heartless, summoned his keyblade and ran over to join the fight, only to arrive as Elyon blasted the last of the Shadows.

Riku joined them a minute later. "Hey… how come the heartless keep popping up? With the keyholes locked, shouldn't they be… I dunno. Not here?" he asked, his question pointed toward Elyon more than Mickey. She sighed.

"It's due to the dark influence in the world's heart. These heartless can't take that heart because of the extreme amount of light within it, but at the same time, no more heartless can get in here because the keyhole has been sealed," she replied. Riku nodded.

"That makes sense," he said. The two of them looked at Mickey, who banished his keyblade.

"Whelp, let's get goin'! The sooner we get to the heart, the sooner this world is safe," he told them. Elyon nodded and she and Riku started off, the mouse king on their heels. They didn't encounter any more heartless, and when they reached the world's heart, Riku was unsurprised to see that there were only tiny tendrils of darkness creeping around it.

He summoned Celestial Grace for the first time since they had entered the keyhole and approached the heart, before stopping to look back at Mickey and Elyon. "Um, you might want to cover your eyes," he suggested. Elyon was already doing so, and Mickey, taking the hint, did the same.

Riku plunged the gold and white keyblade into the heart, releasing another bright blast of light. When the light faded, they stood in the Hall of the Cornerstone once more, the keyhole of Disney Castle shining in the wall in front of them. Riku held up Celestial Grace.

The familiar beam of light shot out of it, and another small click was heard.

Mickey smiled and looked up at Riku, who banished the keyblade and turned to him. "I guess you gotta go, then?" he asked. Riku nodded.

"Yeah… Keep an eye out for Sora though, won't you?" he replied. Mickey nodded.

"I will, pal. I'm worried about him too, now," the mouse king said. Elyon smiled.

"Well then, Riku. Where to next?" she asked. Riku shrugged.

"I don't care. Want me to pick a random color and we go with that?" he responded as the three of them climbed the stairs. Elyon chuckled.

"Might as well," she said. "Shoot for it."

Riku thought for a moment before replying, "Green."

Elyon crossed her arms. "Secondary? Since most worlds have two colors," she asked. The keyblade wielder opened the door for her and Mickey as they walked out of the audience hall.

"How about gold?" he suggested. Elyon smiled.

"Alright. Green and gold it is."

* * *

**Kairi: So then, any guesses as to where they're going next? I'll give you a hint, it was in KH I, KH II, 358/2 Days, and Re:Coded, and probably CoM too (I've never really played that far into it, even though I have the game, since I don't like the card system.)**

**Soul: Ahem... Pictures?**

**Kairi: Oh, right! Due to my phone being stupid and not connecting to the wifi, I couldn't upload the pictures! I have them though, so once my dumb phone stops being so idiotic, I'll be able to post them and you guys can look at them to your hearts' content. In the meantime, however... Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5, Contrast

**Chapter 5  
Contrast**

Elyon was happily flying around the _Milyin_ (in circles, though she didn't mention this to Riku) when she spotted the dust cloud off to the side. While she had, admittedly, been flying in circles, she had also been flying further and further out. This particular world was a new one.

She knew, because it was green and gold. The first she had seen since leaving Disney Castle.

"Ah, there we go!" she said happily, pointing to the world. Riku smiled.

"Took us long enough to find one," he muttered, though rather good-naturedly. Elyon had a feeling it had something to do with the fact that flying through the _Milyin_ was quite fun, even if you weren't doing the actual flying.

"Well, here we go," she stated, angling toward the world. She had just hit the outer part of the dust cloud when it hit.

To Riku, it felt very familiar. It was a wave of darkness, exactly what had knocked him off of Mary's back and what had caused Gabriel to drop Sora. Elyon, however, was not as strong as Mary, so as Riku felt himself slip off of her back, he allowed himself a moment to panic.

Especially as it seemed that Elyon wasn't enjoying the darkness either. The two of them were caught up in the dust cloud, and Riku couldn't help but pray that they landed somewhere close to each other, to make it easier to find the other, before he blacked out.

* * *

He woke up to find bright light shining down on him. He groaned, catching the attention of a small goat-man nearby. The satyr ran over and looked at him in shock.

"Ho, boy. That's a nasty-looking cut," he commented, catching Riku's attention. The satyr turned and called for someone named 'Meg' while Riku raised a hand to his forehead. He was surprised to find that he was, in fact, bleeding. A small amount of blood on a nearby ledge told him all he needed to know, and he groaned again.

Then, a woman in a purple dress walked over, though she started jogging once she had caught sight of the blood on Riku's head. She knelt and healed him quickly. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked. Riku nodded.

"Yeah… I think so…" he mumbled. Then he looked around in worry. "Have you seen a blonde girl with blue eyes around here? Dressed mostly in dark blue?" he asked, concern for Elyon's safety taking priority in his mind. The satyr shook his head.

"Uh-uh. Only blue-eyed blonde we've seen around here is Cloud, and he ain't who you're looking for," he replied. "What's your name, kid?" he asked. Riku stood carefully, once the woman finished cleaning his forehead.

"Riku," he answered. The woman nodded.

"This is Phil," she told him. "I'm Megara, but please, call me Meg." Riku nodded.

"Nice to meet you, but I need to find Elyon," he replied. Meg crossed her arms.

"Why don't we ask Wonderboy for help? He hasn't got much to do right now, I'm sure he wouldn't mind," she suggested. Riku sighed.

"Might as well. I don't exactly know my way around here all that well," he decided. He looked up at the clouds floating past and resisted the urge to sigh again. "Elyon, I hope you're all right."

* * *

Elyon was, however, not exactly what she would call 'all right'. She felt… odd. Weaker than usual, and definitely sick to her stomach.

She groaned as she sat up and looked around. Wherever she was, it was dark, dank, and absolutely awful. She made a note to herself never to come here again.

She sighed and stood carefully, trying to avoid falling over. After finding her legs again, Elyon decided that it might be a good idea to find Riku. So, after a moment of debating between left and right, as she had woken in what appeared to be a tunnel, she decided to head to the left.

Some time later, she decided that it may have been a better idea to turn and go back, as she stepped out of a hole in the wall to find herself on a narrow pathway over an evilly-glowing green sea. Elyon could see what appeared to be people down below, and she grimaced before walking along the path.

"Maybe the way out is past here," she said to herself. She had a feeling the answer to that was 'no', but for now, this was the direction she was going to go.

Upon entering the next room, she decided immediately that this was **not** where she had wanted to be.

"Look, I get that you're still trying to take over the worlds, but you know what?" a large, blue man in a black toga was asking. His blue flame hair caused Elyon to raise an eyebrow for a moment, but when the man and his hair turned red and violent, she took an involuntary step back into the wall. "I DON'T CARE!" he yelled. Then, reverting back to blue, he continued, "I have things to do, souls to torture, and uh… oh, yeah. A Jerkules to get rid of."

The woman across from him scared Elyon, due to the amount of darkness within her. Her black staff was topped with an eerie green stone, and she resembled a demon. "Have it your way, imbecile," she sneered angrily before disappearing in a burst of green flames.

Elyon was quite happy to see her gone, but unfortunately, that left her with the man, who also harbored quite a bit of darkness in his heart. That, and her time of going unnoticed was expired.

"Hm? Now what do we have here?" the man asked, looking over at her. She put on the emotionless mask she used when dealing with the High Council and its members.

"An angel," she said simply, though she said it almost like a joke. The man laughed.

"Now that, you could definitely pull off, sweetheart," he told her. "How about a name, then?" Elyon raised an eyebrow at him pointedly. "Oh jeez, completely forgot my own manners. Name's Hades. God of the Underworld," he introduced himself. Elyon sighed. She didn't really want to give him her name, but…

"Ellie," she told him, not trusting him with her full name. He seemed satisfied enough with the nickname she had always hated.

"Well then, Ellie, what can I do for you?" he asked. "Loved one back from the dead? Power?" Elyon resisted the urge to smack her forehead, instead looking down at the floor.

"A map would be nice," she muttered sarcastically. Hades heard her and chuckled.

"Uh-oh, we got a lost one here," he said loudly. Elyon rolled her eyes. She and Hades then found themselves in a bit of a staring contest. "Something tells me there is something…" he started. "Something you want to know, but you can't ask for whatever reason. Something… dark."

Elyon bit her lip. Hades was right, she admitted. There was… this **one** thing… that she couldn't ask anyone else. She looked up at him, determination written in her eyes as the façade disappeared, and crossed her arms. "What's the catch?" she asked. "I highly doubt you'd help me out of the kindness of your heart, considering how much darkness rests in it."

Hades laughed. "You're right. I like deals," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Perhaps we can come up with something."

* * *

Meanwhile, Riku and Meg had found not Hercules, but Cloud. He stopped Riku and gave Meg a look. She rolled her eyes and left them, continuing on to look for Hercules.

Riku looked up at Cloud with a sigh. "Any particular reason why you've stopped me?" he asked. The blonde man looked up at the ceiling.

"You have darkness in your heart too," he stated. Riku looked at him in shock.

"How—"

"Because I'm fighting to destroy my own," Cloud interrupted him, looking back down at the silver-haired boy. Riku nodded. Now that he stopped and took a chance to smell it, there was a scent of darkness around the man.

"You seem to have it under control, though," he told him. Cloud sighed.

"That's not enough. I'm not sure why," he replied. "It should be, but… it's never been enough. And it's not like I'm trying to destroy it because I hate it… it's just… like I **have** to do it."

Riku crossed his arms. "Well, I don't know what to tell you," he stated. Then, lightly smacking himself on the forehead, he added, "Keep an eye out for Sora, won't you?"

Cloud looked at Riku suspiciously. "How do you know I know Sora?" he asked. Riku stuck his hands in his pockets.

"I followed him around for a while and saw you two talking. That, and the last time I brought up the darkness in my heart around him, he mentioned something about you," he replied. Cloud nodded.

"That makes sense," he said. Then, seeing something behind Riku, he turned and started walking away. "I'll keep an eye out for him. And I'll tell Tifa to look for him too, whenever she manages to catch up to me," he told Riku. Then he was gone, and Riku turned to see Meg and a tall man Riku guessed to be Hercules standing nearby.

"So, Riku, right?" Hercules asked. Riku nodded.

"Yeah. Hercules?" he replied. The hero nodded. "Alright… I'm looking for… well, three things, really. Two people and a thing, but… Ah, never mind," he started. Hercules smiled.

"Why don't we start with the people?" he suggested. Riku nodded.

"Alright. Then, I'm going to assume you know Sora?" he asked. Hercules nodded. "He's a friend of mine, but… he's kinda gone missing. I'm busy, so I'm passing the message along to all of his friends to look for him," he explained.

Hercules sighed. "Is he alright?" he asked. Riku nodded.

"He should be fine. We just don't know where he is," he replied. "As for the other person I'm looking for… She's blonde, with blue eyes, and she's wearing dark blue. About this tall," he said, holding his hand out about level with his nose. Hercules looked thoughtful, then shook his head.

"I'm afraid I haven't seen her," he told him. Worry crossed his face almost immediately. "But, that means that if she's not here, she could very well be in the Underworld, and with how quiet Hades has been lately…" he trailed off. Riku didn't need him to finish, as he was already heading out the door. "Hey, wait up!" Hercules called after Riku, running to catch up to him.

Riku turned just inside the door that lead to the Underworld. "I need to find her. Gabriel will kill me if I let something happen to her," he told the hero. Hercules nodded.

"I'll come with you. I've got the Olympus Stone with me anyways, you would have needed it regardless," he told Riku. The silver-haired teen sighed.

"Alright, but let's go. I've been here for a while now, and I don't want to risk Hades having even more time to hurt Elyon, or worse, trick her into a deal."

* * *

**Kairi: Alright, the pictures for Elyon and Celestial Grace are... erm... somewhere on my computer. It's a little crazy right now because I just totally rearranged everything on my computer, but they'll be up by next week, I promise on my life this time. So, on that note... I don't own anything. Feel free to drop a review.**


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